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A Simple Transaction I

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[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation

Swapping to Amplification & Diminishment in acknowledgment of all the effort that went into brainstorming Synthesis solutions.
 
I already have to a certain extent what I fought for. If anybody here is backing Blood Sorcery out of a sense of obligation to me, don't feel like you have to. This debate involved the clashing gifts of two benefactors, it's weird, it's awkward. I don't think I care anymore. Even Catherine may prove to be surprisingly pragmatic about things. Win, that's all that matters? Orm and I spent some time hashing out our sentiments on things as mutual benefactors to the thread, for the moment we're going for a Haeliel/A&D Build, though that's of course subject to change depending on Arete.

[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: As Above[Vast Empyrean]
[X] Amplification & Distillation
 
If we are getting Haeliel and Amplification, we might just get Armor of Midnight too, and then use Wish to gain more Signs and immediately gain that major Sign bonus.
 
Fark it. Wish it is I guess.

[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation
 
Pittauro said:
It was so disappointing that it would renew all of TWO DAYS of the condition :rofl:
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I know, right? The least the Curse could do is have overlapping AHS buffs stack additively, give Hunger an incentive to seek out Huntress' Moon targets even on vacation from the Affliction.
Pittauro said:
You know, I can't help but think/imagine... is the apocryphal curse sentient/sapient?

How would it feel if it actually managed to kill us? After all if we die it can't make things interesting anymore!
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There... is actually an update from the Apocryphal Curse's perspective, so you've got that to look forward to.
 
[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation

I'm actually 100% on board with that decision.
 
[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation

This isn't a bad idea at all.
 
Also, it's curios that 4th and 5th Signs of same kind do have a lot of synergy. Evening Sky provides attack and offense, Noonday Sky provides access to a lot of single stat and way to ignore stat imbalance while As Above pretty dramatically improves Skyward Claim.
 
Signs Omnibus:

Noonday Signs:

1:
[ ] Fleet Advance [Noonday Sky] - Speed perpetual as a messenger-god, and devastating as a god of war.
Synergy: Mirellyian Bloodline - Ordination of Quickness. By engraving its runes upon the Forebear's Blade, permanently gain +0.2 levels of speed along the Infinite Singularity Husk. Does not stack with Refinement of Quickness, which Tears of Winter: Adorie does already discount...

Casting time: Five minutes
Duration: Up to 72 hours
Cooldown: Until Next Noon

Grants effortless linear flight and improves travel speed in atmosphere by 1000%, applied after all other multipliers. Difficult maneuverability makes combat applications limited; interruption dispels.
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2:
[ ] Second Sign: Indomitable Dominion [Noonday Sky] - Like Apollo resplendent he sunders all darkness, magnificent and untouchable as the sun unbridled.

Casting time: Five heartbeats
Duration: 24 hours
Cooldown: Until Next Noon

Massively extends the caster's resistance to hostile esoteric magics or supernatural phenomena of specific effect (broad-scale magics like Rank are minimally effected). The more dangerous the effect, the greater the resistance. For example, a power that slows the caster by 50% might only be reduced tenfold to 5%, while a power that instantly slays the caster might deal 2% of his total maximum Health in damage instead. Can, if desired, instead be granted to another target in the caster's vicinity at the time of casting.

Does not work on Curses.
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3:
[ ] Third Sign: Pennants of Daybreak [Noonday Sky] - Dawn spilling forth like thunder become light, treachery's hour dispersing like a fearful mirage, only unmerciful glory left in its wake.

Casting time: 8 hours to charge. Up to five charges. For each Charge existing, increase casting time by an order of magnitude.
Duration: Charge persists indefinitely; activation lasts until sunset
Cooldown: 1 Solar Year

The Pennants of Daybreak offer power unimaginable, though only for a modest span. A single Pennant planted is a sigil of supreme radiance, the unfurling glory of morning given form; three is the supernova fury of a star's final defiance, power enough to scour worlds and systems from existence. Five unbound can shatter Realms and whole dimensions, the raw stuff of reality like molten taffy before such light and heat. All aspects of the caster's magical and physical strength are augmented when the Pennants of Daybreak are at last set free. At Hunger's level, a single Pennant would at minimum grant the equivalent of +1 External Rank for the duration of its activation.

The Pennants of Daybreak allow the caster to contest foes massively beyond his own power, but only for a limited time, and at an enormous cost in opportunities... Still, their application to a Bearer of the Apocryphal Curse could not be more obvious!
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4:

[ ] Fourth Sign: Veil of Grandeur [Noonday Sky] - Like the sun swallowed by clouds, his light is no blinding glare but a simple radiance suffusing; revelation without anguish, illumination without searing heat.

Casting time: Five minutes
Duration: Indefinite or until dispelled
Cooldown: None

Knowledge of this spell grants +++++Strength, Charisma, Intelligence and Appearance.

The recipients of this spell may make full use of their superhuman power-type Attributes, even if unbalanced, without the negatives consequences typical of such (insufficient durability, collateral damage, addiction, values warping, sensory burnout, etc). Each casting affects one recipient, but this spell may be maintained on up to one billion recipients at once.

Frees up some of Gisena's research time. Also you can be smug at her for having discovered a flawless solution to one of her research topics well before she did.
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5:

[ ] Fifth Sign: Procrustean Valor [Noonday Sky] - In uniformity, is fungibility. In uniformity, is cohesion. In uniformity, is order.

In uniformity, is strength.

Before the glance of Noon, each photon is equally swift and equally purposeless. So too with those that crawl beneath, not swift but purposeless still. Concern yourself not with the harshness of the sun at your back; look forward at what its illumination reveals!

Casting time: Passive
Activation speed: Thought
Duration: Permanent, Special
Cooldown: None
Reagent: Health

At any time the wielder of this Sign may activate its effects to copy over one Attribute of their enemy during a contest in which that Attribute is highly relevant. Only contests with substantial stakes may qualify, with about the same degree of freedom as defined by the Ring Hunger.

The character suffers physical damage proportional to the difference in final values between their Attribute and their opponent's. One Attribute may be copied per contest, and copying persists for the duration of that contest.

Eligible Attributes include: Might (Str, Con), Agility, Intelligence, Wits, Charisma, Appearance (will also cause wielder to steal their opponent's appearance), Protection, (Effect) Resistance*, and Luck.

*Such as Adorie's resistance to existential diminishment

Ineligible Attributes include: Wisdom (Locked for safety reasons, can be forcibly unlocked but severely not recommended), Manipulation (A fundamental flaw of the Sign; it seems to lack the finesse necessary to even conceive of such a thing)

Only Attributes whose final value is no greater than 1000 +s may be copied over in this manner. Final Attribute values are copied over without being subject to further modifiers. Attributes fade upon completion of the contest in question.

*Equalize in stats, then crush them in Rank!
*Prevent yourself from being speedblitzed as long as you have time to process a single thought!
*Defeat strange outlier-tier enemies with outrageously high Luck, Charisma, etc, should they appear.
*Prevent unfair 'symmetrical' field effects from screwing you over!
*Withstand the colossal Might of enemy Armaments!
*Hunger is mostly immune to the downside, as his massive physical durability, quick regeneration and wound penalty negation make physical damage less relevant. Worst case he can go Second Stage.
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Vast Empyrean Signs:

3:

[ ] Third Sign: Break of Storm [Vast Empyrean] - If the Sky itself is laid across his shoulders, what amounts the defiance of thunder or cloud?

Casting time: Fifteen minutes
Duration: 1 Solar Year or until dispelled
Cooldown: 1 Solar Month

Alters the weather over a target area no larger than one million square miles. The caster may specify virtually any weather within the bounds of the climactic environment; a perpetual Category 5 hurricane over a desert is perfectly acceptable but total saturation of tornadoes and lightning strikes over every square inch of terrain would not be. His directives may be calculated or broad; faultlessly convenient weather for every occasion may be conjured, or precisely deconstructed patterns of rain and cloud to terraform specific plots of land.

The caster may simply direct the weather to defend, enhance, and in all ways support the populace of an area, greatly improving quality of life therein and making incursion impractical for those invaders incapable of shrugging off bone-bleaching sunstroke and cataclysmic defensive storm. An area so blessed for years continuously will slowly accumulate +All Stats % for those regularly living within, to a maximum of +50% All Stats.
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4:

[ ] Fourth Sign: Skywards Claim [Vast Empyrean] - To they who aimed always heavenwards, make right their claim.

Casting time: Fifteen minutes
Duration: Indefinite or until dispelled
Cooldown: Fifteen minutes after dispellation

The caster elevates the direct physical-combat related Attributes (Might, Agility and Wits) of one character to a level roughly appropriate for the caster's Rank.

Does not work on the caster himself. Does not benefit from the military Rank bonus of Once and Future, but does stack with Vigorflame or Ring of Blood augmentation.

The uses are varied and potent. Enhance Gisena or Aobaru to staggering heights, or make Aeira relevant again in direct combat... perhaps even augment Adorie to create a potent military force ex nihilo! Could also serve as a half-measure for keeping Aobaru in the Voyaging Realm - Skywards Claim + Undying Vanguard means that the space of opponents capable of slaying him becomes much narrower.
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5:

[ ] Fifth Sign: As Above [Vast Empyrean] - The most foundational of sorceries wields the most fundamental of principles. That is all.

Required for Tenth Sign: So Below.

Unlocks [ ] Feat: Orb at an identical Arete and picks cost to Feat: Crown. Offers an impressive +.125 Base Rank, which is fully affected by Rank Gain modifiers.

Casting time: 12 hours
Duration: One Spell
Cooldown: 1 year

Reagents: Reagents of value sufficient to acquire the Fifth Sign by the wealth absorption method, or burn .1 Rank.
The caster's next Empyreal Sign is treated as if upgraded when cast. If their Rank would be lower than 10, elevate it to 10 for purposes of the casting. For example, Supreme Enclosure would be cast as Bring to Heel with an Astral Rank of 10. Does not affect Passive Signs.

Halve the Reagent cost of this spell and reduce Casting time to Instantaneous if performed on the summer or winter solstice of the caster's native world, or a world sufficiently similar. The Voyaging Realm qualifies, though winter solstice is far away...

*I probably don't need to advocate for this option, given the ludicrous power and versatility it represents.
*Mind the costs, though. And the cooldown...
*Somewhat synergistic with your high +Rank gain % build, though Rank is not easily won in this world.
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Evening Signs:

1:

[ ] Nightmare Flight [Evening Sky] - As sudden and total as the onset of night.

Casting time: Fifteen minutes to charge
Duration: Once charged, persists up to 24 hours or until used
Cooldown: Until Next Evening

The caster and up to four additional individuals immediately teleport to any location under the same sky. The location must be familiar to the caster. Can pierce wards created by lesser magics. The Empyreal Signs sit only modestly below the Royal Praxis in potential power, though such is difficult to realize...

Can act as perfect defense against attacks of insufficient range / area or spatial penetration, should the caster react in time. Allows the traversal of far greater distances in the Voyaging Realm than the Noonday version of this sign.
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2:

[ ] Second Sign: Bastion of Myth [Evening Sky] - Ineluctable and unconquerable as a neutron star; merely to approach is to be bent into his sway. Hostile gravitation finds little purchase against such deeper might.
Synergy: Hero-Defeating Stance - Doubles the effects of Hero-Defeating Stance in all parameters. Hostile Rank greater than the caster's has its respective difference halved, then halved again. Increases Rank by a total of +0.4 (does not stack with Once and Future). Discounts Once and Future by 2 instead of 1. Grants additional commensurate Might, Agility, and Wisdom.

Casting Time: Instant Upon Acquisition
Duration: Permanent
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3:

[ ] Third Sign: Supreme Enclosure [Evening Sky] - The Luna Conquerer extends his reach, and within his grasp finds clutched a minion or servitor from beyond the arc of the physical.

Casting time: 1 hour
Duration: 1 Lunar month or until dispelled
Cooldown: 1 day after dispellation

Summons an Astral Entity of Rank no greater than the caster's own, minimum 7. The entity is incapable of directly harming the caster but is otherwise free to act, unless binding negotiations are entered into. If so, then both caster and entity will be bound to said conditions by the power of this sign; the summoned entity is by default unaware of this, but sufficiently powerful or capable entities may have means of making themselves aware. Entities can be dispelled by slaying them, or by waiting out the duration of this spell.

The summoned entity will tend to be useful for the caster's current short- and medium-term purposes, but this is not always the case. Their powers, tendencies and skills can vary wildly. Take care that you do not call forth what you cannot put down.
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4:

[ ] Fourth Sign: Deathly Star [Evening Sky] - 'Such force as to reduce entire worlds to ash, a pantheon-slaying strike of truly foremost malice.'

Casting time: Five heartbeats
Duration: Instant
Cooldown: Until Next Evening

The obverse reflection of Augustine's supreme offense, absorbed and now reflected by the Cloak of Sky. This is an onslaught of sheer destroying force that strikes across every level of the physical and conceptual gradient, targeting Health as well as the target's Attributes, both fundamental and emergent. Virtually no defense short of perfection absolute can shield against all the vectors by which this strikes. Cancel the apocalypse by marshaling power greater still.

Naturally, though imperfectly, scales with the caster's Rank. An attack that will almost never be irrelevant by virtue of its immense destructiveness, stellar precision and comprehensive scale. Theoretically useful even against Armaments in a direct contest.
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5:

[ ] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky] - The Cloak of Sky is the heavens and all their intervening vastness unfurled, yet that which was the Shroud of Evening has not forgotten the form of its predecessor. He who dons the Armor of Midnight becomes nigh-invincible to harm or ill, for the aegis of his panoply is as vast and unconquerable as the universal void.
Returns now the Evening Sky - not merely of twilight, but of all darkness, king!

Casting time: 10 minutes
Duration: 8 hours
Cooldown: 1 week

Reagents: If below Rank 11, burn .1 Rank, otherwise burn .01 Rank.

The wielder is nigh-invincible. Treat his Protection as effectively infinite for purposes of defending against any form of harm incapable of destroying the entire universe, otherwise treat his Protection as increased by one thousand. Non-damaging hostile conditions and unwanted esoteric conditions have their impact mitigated by three orders of magnitude or by a degree appropriate to the effect if it had attempted to target all interplanetary space within the entire universe, whichever mitigation is greater. This grants effective Stage II mitigation of all Curses while active. Returns the appearance of the Cloak of Sky to that of the Evening Sky while active; the disguise function of Skyveil may not be used for the duration.
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There were 227 posts between Arete observations. We went from "just shy of 40 Arete" on Tuesday to "roughly 45 Arete!" this morning.

In that time: Pittauro wrote just over 3,000 words of reaction. There have been at least 12 CYOA builds, with 8-9 of them having fairly substantial analysis & wordcount attached. Sharkey posted two newspapers, two fan quests have updated, HeWhoAdds started a new one, and the length of discussion posts with >500 words adds up to about another 2500 words in total (not an exact count).

I didn't hold any contributions back, in argumentation or written out CYOA ideas, so unless someone has something saved up I think we're going to be striking in the 45-48 Arete range tonight / tomorrow. With 12-24 hours left we still need to basically duplicate our efforts since Tuesday...


...​
You all know that I'd love to use a Lesser Wish on getting the major [Evening Sky] theming bonus. But if that's not possible, next update's two picks from Blood Sorcery practically guarantee us Fisher King and a discounted EFB (Elixir / Ruling Ring). Given that this Synthesis option is guaranteed to solve the currency problem, we'll have an effectively infinite credit line to activate As Above or negotiate with Astral Denizens without burning Rank for our fifth sign.

Daylian really seems to be the play here.
 
Yeah, that's where I'm at too, getting maybe-Caroline as a sponsor would be nice but fifty Arete's a huge fucking investment. IIRC going 2 Arete into debt is just - death, right? We overdraw on Hunger's spiritual reserves or whatever and die? Let's spend that shit elsewhere. In doggo I trust.

[X] Zampano
 
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well, let's see this new possible future (past for you) picks. :D

the clear subdivisions make it really easy to pre-quote everything before starting to react!

Rihaku said:
- The Ring of Power -

Dominion - 2 Arete

A ring of power does not exert influence casually. It has its own will, its own preferences, and if that will should be inseparable from its owner's, its sway thereby shall be greater for it.

Select a domain of influence. While acting within its domain, [Ring of Power] effects are substantially less taxing and more potent; the effects of this can be abstracted as follows: treat the owner's Rank as if it somewhat* higher for related actions. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time. If multiple domains apply, their bonuses do not compound.

*+0.5 if Low, +.25 if Mid, +.1 if High.

The available domains for Hunger are: War, Passion, Life.

War - Applies to any conflict with real and serious stakes
Passion - Applies whenever in the throes of a powerful passion, or to inflame the passions of others
Life - Applies to the manipulation, augmentation, or restoration of biology or life-force
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basically a situational astral rank boost that slowly declines the more we progress.

War would obviously be useful for battles both big and small, Passion could help with, for example, motivational speeches, inspiring people, or achieving truly important goals, and Life would help with our healings.

I don't like it much. We're going to reach the Mid stage pretty soon at this rate, so it's basically a 0.5 in the shortest term, 0.25 in the short (possibly medium), and after that it's mostly negligible.

Ok, not exactly negligible, but it makes this a pretty inefficient pick in my opinion, unless we REALLY need the short term boost. 0.5 is a an appreciable difference, though If I remember right it takes a full 1 point at our current rank to have a decisive advantage.


Rihaku said:
Preeminence - 7 Arete

It is no small thing, to master a ring of power; and for those few who have braved that height, at its peak they shall only glimpse the true jewel which lies even further beyond.

Choose a domain you have already purchased. While acting within its purview, double its effective Rank modifier and gain +All Stats. You may select this advancement multiple times, choosing a different domain each time.

The available domains for Hunger's Preeminence are: War, Passion
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now THIS makes the previous pick more interesting. Double the rank means we get a +1 shortest term, 0.5 short and 0.2 long term, which is already much better, and THEN there's the + All stats, which includes all the harder to raise ones!

With our main method of progression War is the obvious pick I think.

I'm still not fully convinced, as I inherently dislike this kind of diminishing returns, but a 2+7 pick here would certainly make our survival in the short term much more likely, and it WOULD allow us to face harder challenges, basically pushing us a not negligible amount in our growth curve.

On a secondary note the blurb is obviously Referring to Nameless. After all mastering the Truth Ring was barely the start of his understanding of the concept itself.

I wonder if Majesty had a similar growth potential and we simply never learnt of it?



Rihaku said:
Chief Dominion - 7 Arete

Awaken now, O Hunger ring; from blackest myth abjure:
thy band once stained, now un-profaned, to shine forevermore.

O Ring of Blood, O Ring of War, thy tide of battle fades;
cast down Their thrones in crimson gloam: unfurling of thine Age!

The Heart-Ring, the Battle-Brand, the Ring of Fury, Ambition's Grip. The ruby face of the Ring of Blood unsealed exalts its foremost dominion: blood, the true and concerted essence of all vigorous things. Its band of grey, like twining smoke smoten into filigree, carries the furious gleam of power unconstrained.

Vastly improves the strength and finesse of the [Ring of Power] effect when exerted upon the domain of blood, allowing for direct and outright influence over reality. Applies to the manipulation, alteration, creation or destruction of blood or life-force. +Progression additionally within this purview.

Requires either [Ring of Blood] or [Dominion: Life]. Suborns and deactivates the domain of life.

He who attains pre-eminence over the lesser domains of Hunger, and awakens its Chief Dominion, shall wield the Ruling Ring and incite the contest of primacy thereby.

*You can trade all three Dominions, both Pre-eminencies, and Chief Dominion for [Ruling Ring], allowing you to buy it piecemeal at an effective 2 Arete surcharge. Primacy may be uncontested if no other Ruling Rings exist.
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first of all, let's see what Ring of Blood even WAS. I personally don't remember it.

Also Ruling Ring, just in case

one quick search later
[ ] Hunger - Ring of Blood - 2 Arete. Wielder fully recovers health with [Might's Repose], can use [Ring of Power] to restore health, though inefficiently.
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[Ruling Ring] - 25 Arete. There can only be one Ruling Ring. Enormously increases the strength, range, and control of the [Ring of Power] effect. ++All Stats, ++Progression.
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Long term this offers a way to basically remove the reduced (and situational) astral rank bonuses from Dominion and Preeminence for the much better ++progression.

Basically, once you trade everything you're giving up (I'll assume that happens once we reach the High ranks to simplify the list):

1)the 0.2 astral rank bonus for War and Passion dominions

2)the more specific (and less powerfull) boosts to the Ring Of Power reality manipulation, limited to the dominions of War, Passion and (less limited, stronger) Blood/Life Force

3)++ to all stats

4)+ to progression (blood/Life force)

in exchange for

1)++ progression (so a net + to progression (blood), and ++ to everything else)

2)++ all stats (basically left the same)

3)Stronger and more generic boost to Ring of Power effect.

so the only things that are truly lost are the astral rank bonus, that are in any case most important only in the short term and CERTAINLY worth removing for this after they saved our life whenever we first took them.

cost 2+2+2+7+7+7=27 arete, and we can pay it in installments, taking whatever power we need the most at the time.

...WELL, I THINK I FOUND MY NEW FAVOURITE

Ruling Ring was ALREADY my second favourite 25 arete option until now (Pillars of Creation is the first), but the convenience of being able to pay for it gradually and get a pretty decent astral rank boost for cheap with the smallest payments in the short term.. well, that's certainly worth the 2 arete surcharge!

I wouldn't be interested in these options taken separately, but as a path to the full version? That changes everything!


Rihaku said:
- The Forebear's Blade -

Fall of Night - 2 Arete

The stroke of his blade is the fall of night, to every foe the sun of hope extinguished

Conjunctional Advancement with the Evening Sky. ++Strength, +Agility. Blade projections of all kinds deal one-third more damage with a one-tenth chance to inflict critical damage, tripling the harm done and applying half again the power of ruin. Control and manipulation of blade winds becomes far less taxing. The surcharge in power for stronger blade-winds is substantially reduced.

The wielder becomes capable of manipulating the properties of his falls; falls whose nature is languid but whose movement is swift, gentle falls that strike with magnified weight and heft, falls from great distance that do no harm, and so on.
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gives some much needed strenght (and a bit of agility), and generally boosts our ranged attacks, But I think the 0.5 war rank from the 2 arete ring is likely better in the short term (and long term very few things can beat the ring...as long as we have enemies to gain exp from. And once we run out of them, why, that's the moment to go for Pillars of Creation! If it's still available at least..)
Rihaku said:
Form of Rage - 7 Arete

When flesh and spirit both have abraded away, what remains of a man? His essence at last stands bare and alone, free of the armor that presumes to shelter the world from its glory. A silhouette, bare outline of a figure, through which pale light pours forth without end.

If the form of flesh and the form of spirit are both felled, and if he should still be compelled to fight on, then he may assume the form of Rage, which is pure light and thunder, heft and raw Pressure, the forces of the world arrayed as a fist to strike down his enemies.

The form of Rage can only be entered if one has a compelling reason to fight on, else one dies instead. While in this Form, triple all Attributes for purposes of battle and increase Astral Rank by a significant* amount. The wielder moves like living lightning: the wake of his blows is the crush of thunder, the blaze of his eyes like furious stars, his merest regard like a mountain onrushing.

Use of this Form is taxing in the extreme. Should the wielder avoid annihilation, after the battle concludes he emerges, human once more and fully healed, but diminished as well. Choose one Advancement to revoke or lose 1 point of Arete after re-emergence, and become Tired, or Exhausted if already Tired.

*+1 if Low-Ranked, +0.5 if Mid-Ranked, and +0.25 if High-Ranked

Pre-requisite for Final Form.
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come on guys and girls, say it with me, you KNOW you want to:

"AND THIS ISN'T EVEN OUR FINAL FORM!"

I wonder what comes after the final form.

What, you think that's the last? Please. There's probably an EVEN FURTHER BEYOND Form, or a FINALER form, or something like that!

Again though, I'd rather go with the rings power ups. with 2 picks and 9 arete we get the +1 without basically having to die twice to use it, and it's already a third of the way to Ruling Ring.

Sure, it doesn't come with a third renewable life, but nothing is perfect (Except maybe for an uncursed Accursed)

Rihaku said:
- The Evening Sky -

Iridescence - 2 Arete

The sharp light of the stars before which all malice is lessened.

+Protection, +Charisma. Expands the range of effects subject to the Evening Sky, allowing it to passively weaken almost all forms of magic. Even Nullity itself can be once withstood before the Sky recedes.

Requires Opalescence.
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decent, gives our defense even more versatility (especially in combination with Gisena) and the extra charisma will be nice when we reach civilization.
Rihaku said:
Pearlescence - 7 Arete

Woe unto they who would stand against the bearer of Evening, for all the stars in heaven are their enemies, and the moon above as well.

That a frog in a well should leap at the moon, means only that they will never reach it.

+++Protection, and the protection granted by the Evening Sky now automatically scales to its wearer's power; effectively, the wearer is granted an additional Experience modifier whose output is automatically applied to the Evening Sky.

Requires Iridescence.
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...so, immediate protection + scaling protection.

This basically removes the need to take protection option for...potentially ever.

Good. VERY Good.

I still have my eyes on the ring though. This can wait.

Also don't you remember? All the stars in heaven might be our allies, and the moon as well, but the sky is greater still! (and let's not forget about the sword above the sky!)
Rihaku said:
You may choose the artifact for which enemies in your path have the greatest affinity. They will offer considerably more of that artifact's advancements, including Conjunctional. Don't forget to copy + paste your previous vote alongside!

[ ] The Forebear's Blade

[ ] The Evening Sky

[ ] The Ring of Power
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RING RING RING!

888 words. What a nice number :V
 
Out of curiosity, what do people expect out of "major" bonus? Right now I'm sorta hoping that we'd get Elder Sign kind of thing for all our Evening Sky Signs.
 
[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation

My dreams....
 
[X] Fifth Sign: As Above[Vast Empyrean]

I would really rather not commit to passing up whatever cool things the next two non evening signs have before we have even seen them. Furthermore as above pairs with the later sign So Below and I kind of want to see that synergy.
 
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[X] The Seraph of Heroism, Haeliel [Basic, 50 Arete]
[X] Fifth Sign: Armor of Midnight [Evening Sky]
[X] Amplification & Distillation

Time to LOCK IN


Killing our selves is still at a 3 vote lead!! How exciting!

Adhoc vote count started by Resonant on Oct 16, 2020 at 5:43 PM, finished with 511 posts and 58 votes.
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Conjured Blade said:
You haven't read Cpl Facehuggers Luv and Hate quest then on SB(A Supreme Commander/Muv Luv Alternative xover quest).
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I have, actually - or at least, I did fourish years ago. Hadn't realized that was what you were referencing.
Conjured Blade said:
Hunger is Steele and is basically in a relationship with Gisena who is Yuuko. Catherine is Alina in this metaphor. And we can't count on the problem being solved the way Steele/Yuuko/Alina did it.

Getting your dead comrade in arms GF resurrected when you are in another relationship is the Michael Steele problem.
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Okay, so.
*I actually really dislike how LnH handled it - apparently Yuuko has a serious issue with her SOs being seduced away, more-or-less because her sisters are incredibly awful, and Steele never once brought up the obvious point that betraying his unexpectedly-not-dead common-law wife would mean he's not the sort of person Yuuko should desire a relationship with. (Alina being from the Free-Love Space Hippies kind of didn't help, though - it kind of wound up framing things as "Yuuko is just being selfish, immature, and prudish, whereas Steele is seriously considering leaving his long-time companion for someone he met this week." Much as I dislike her archetype, this is not something Alina should've had to put up with!)
*Hunger is not in a romantic relationship with Gisena, for good reason. She knows his backstory, and appears to have - out of respect for his hopefully-not-permadead wife, his recent trauma, and/or his brain-and-soul damage - chosen not to seriously pursue him as yet. (Hey, I wonder if she'd be more interested if she can be sure Catherine's on board first. @LordOfMurder, this might be your chance!)
*Even if Hunger was in a relationship with Gisena, consciously choosing not to resurrect his dead wife because it might cause issues with his current relationship sounds like a really kind of awful character beat. Like, really. Choosing to prioritize the long-term survival and growth needed to save her and everyone like her, rather than retiring to a somewhat-myopic paradise? Sure. Choosing to abandon his wife (and child!) to the Hidden Ones' clutches, because he doesn't want to complicate his relationship with the sorceress he met last month? Um.
 
I want to revive Catherine for a few reasons. One is that I want to snub the Hidden Masters, even if only in a relatively small way. Another is that I think that as long as Catherine is dead, there will be a part of Hunger that he can never truly recover, lingering trauma that will always be hampering his ability to find himself, his ability to think reasonably about himself, etc.
 
HoratioVonBecker said:
I have, actually - or at least, I did fourish years ago. Hadn't realized that was what you were referencing.

Okay, so.
*I actually really dislike how LnH handled it - apparently Yuuko has a serious issue with her SOs being seduced away, more-or-less because her sisters are incredibly awful, and Steele never once brought up the obvious point that betraying his unexpectedly-not-dead common-law wife would mean he's not the sort of person Yuuko should desire a relationship with. (Alina being from the Free-Love Space Hippies kind of didn't help, though - it kind of wound up framing things as "Yuuko is just being selfish, immature, and prudish, whereas Steele is seriously considering leaving his long-time companion for someone he met this week." Much as I dislike her archetype, this is not something Alina should've had to put up with!)
*Hunger is not in a romantic relationship with Gisena, for good reason. She knows his backstory, and appears to have - out of respect for his hopefully-not-permadead wife, his recent trauma, and/or his brain-and-soul damage - chosen not to seriously pursue him as yet. (Hey, I wonder if she'd be more interested if she can be sure Catherine's on board first. @LordOfMurder, this might be your chance!)
*Even if Hunger was in a relationship with Gisena, consciously choosing not to resurrect his dead wife because it might cause issues with his current relationship sounds like a really kind of awful character beat. Like, really. Choosing to prioritize the long-term survival and growth needed to save her and everyone like her, rather than retiring to a somewhat-myopic paradise? Sure. Choosing to abandon his wife (and child!) to the Hidden Ones' clutches, because he doesn't want to complicate his relationship with the sorceress he met last month? Um.
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While I have basically conceded the point that it might not be as I was concerned about, at the time I was thinking something like... we don't know what precisely Hunger and Gisena are doing offscreen and their onscreen behavior has them arguing like a married couple. The other side was that I didn't want the decision to come up IC. Choosing not to is different from the decision never occuring to you from lack of opportunity or just not thinking about it. I didn't want to have to deal with something potentially analogous to that problem in thread.

We don't know whether or not his wife and child are in a Hidden Ones managed afterlife or are just annihilated, though thinking about it I can't rule out the possibility of a Hidden Ones afterlife. I'm not sure what the fark is going on metaphysically speaking there so if you're able to explain your theory I'd appreciate it.
 
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Hmm, now that it seems very possible our Arete doubling will end before we get to Pillars while the thread still isn't as active as during the daily updates, I think being able to buy Ruling Ring piecemeal is going to be good again. Especially since we have an additional pick that just vanished into the aether. It will also finally let us pick up the low hanging fruit we've all been missing, like Honing and Iridescence.

As for the benefits; I think both the Advice plus Ordinal Instruction and the Lesser Wish are key. The rest is mostly a toss-up where I slightly prefer the overturning of a difficulty during a Geas task, since we not only have the next Apocryphal Proc to worry about but also Aobaru's nemesis who would be able to match us. Allowing Hunger to revive Catherine might give him tons of mental stability, but at the same time we have long since outscaled Hunger's original isekai. Similarly, using the hero empowerment would also be quite good for Aobaru considering his nemesis, but I wouldn't do it unless we have a guaranteed way to revive him if we fail, and Haliel's failed empowerment might slay beyond the possibility of recovery at this level of reality. But if we do succeed we'd get an insane party member, so it's high-risk high reward.

I wouldn't take the empowerment option unless we get confirmed to us we can revive Aobaru if we fail, and even then I'd wait until Gisena develops a revival Grace. But if we can revive him, it would easily shoot up as the best last option to take in my view, surpassing Geas protection. It would have amazing synergy with teaching Aobaru the Ordinal Spiral too.

All in all, I think I'd prefer loss aversion until we get confirmation about how final Haliel killing you really is.
 
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